Privatised Water Supply In Blanchardstown Development Contaminated

dublin | environment | feature Friday June 24, 2005 15:23 by hs - sp (per cap)

'Alert issued' sez Wag 'Next time the tankers come they could be charging for the uisce'

Thousands of homes in Tyrrelstown, a new development in the Blanchardstown area, have been affected by a biological contamination to their water supply. The water supply is under the control of a private company established by the property developers. Fingal County Council have had to bail out the private management company responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the water system. A report in the Northside People claimed children's skin had suffered a reaction when they washed. Residents claimed when they contacted Fingal County Council they were passed onto the management company. Private water management companies are not regulated in Ireland. So there you have it, water being privatised through the back door, without legislation or regulation.

Follow Feature Continued Link Below For Council Notices On This Issue Council Notices:

News Update Tyrrelstown Public Water Supply Alert -

UPDATE 5PM FRIDAY 17TH JUN

Following disruption to water services last weekend, Fingal County Council Water Services Department took full control of the water supply in the Tyrrelstown area on Wednesday 15th June to ensure that a localised source of contamination identified through routine water sampling was precisely identified and rectified. In order for this to be carried out water supplies have been discontinued for a 24 hour-period between the hours of 10 p.m. on Thursday 16th and 10 p.m. on Friday 17th June. Residents have been advised that once the supply has been restored, the water will not be fit for drinking until a further notice has issued from Fingal County Council.
Initial investigations carried out on site today involved the emptying of both on-site reservoirs for a full and detailed inspection. This included a full inspection of all associated water supply infrastructure. A precautionary disinfection was also carried out in both reservoirs. While our investigations are ongoing, indications of reduced through-flow in one of two on-site reservoirs suggested that this may have contributed to the contamination of the supply.
The decision was taken to remove this reservoir from the supply network as the remaining reservoir provided adequate capacity to supply water to the area. Further engineering works were carried out on site to ensure any further potential vulnerability in the system was avoided. Once these works have been completed water supplies will be restored to the Tyrrelstown area by the expected time of 10pm this evening. Following restoration of water supplies in the area residents are advised that precautions should be followed as outlined below.

Water quality sampling will be carried out by Fingal County Council throughout the weekend and into next week to ensure that suitable quality is restored to the area in accordance with standard safe practice. This requires that uncontaminated samples are returned on two successive days (i.e. Saturday and Sunday) and for this reason it is expected that water will not be declared suitable for consumption until Monday 20th June at the earliest.

It should also be noted that on site investigations are continuing over the weekend to ensure that the full supply is restored at the highest quality and that the risk of further contamination and water service disruptions is eliminated.
Residents are reminded to take the following precautions once water supplies are restored from 10pm on Friday 17th June:
· Please leave your hot and cold taps running when water is switched back on to flush out the system.
· Water, when switched back on can be used until further notice for:
Flushing of toilets
Flushing of internal house plumbing systems
Bathing and personal hygiene
· Discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers and Do not use the water for brushing teeth.
· Water should not be used for
Drinking
Food preparation
Brushing of teeth
Bathing of small children
Alternative water supplies for drinking and cooking purposes will be made available by tankers provided by Fingal County Council throughout Tyrrelstown from 8am to 10pm daily until normal supply is restored.

Contact Details for further queries and information as follows:
Water Services Department Fingal County Council
9:00 – 17:00 Mon to Fri: 890-6201(2)(3), 890-6212(4)(5)
Fingal County Council Emergency After Hours: 01 8731415
Press and Media Queries
Florence White, Communications Officer, Fingal County Council
T: 01 890 5998
M: 087 4141580

Tyrrelstown Drinking Water Alert
Thu, 16 Jun 2005 13:13:00 IST
Second Notice
Affected Areas: Tyrrellstown

The water supply to the Tyrellstown area will be switched off from 10 pm Thursday 16th June, 2005 and will be switched back on at 10 pm Friday 17th June, 2005. The water when switched back on WILL NOT be fit for drinking and should not be consumed until a further notice has been issued.
The switching off of the water is required in order to carry out inspection of the temporary reservoir which supplies water to the Tyrellstown area.
Water, when switched back on, should not be used until further notice except for:
· flushing of toilets
· flushing of internal house plumbing systems
Discard ice cubes in fridges and freezers and Do not use the water for brushing teeth.
Please leave on your hot and cold taps to flush out the system.
Alternative supplies for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene purposes will be made available at the following locations.
Alternative supplies for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene purposes will be made available at the following locations:
Location: Throughout the Estate
Time: 8:00 am to 10:00 pm
Further information and advice is available on www.fingalcoco.ie and from the following phone numbers:
9:00 - 17:00 Mon - Fri: 890-6201(2)(3), 890-6212(4)(5)
24 Hours: 873-1415
Please advise of elderly or disabled persons who may require special assistance.
Please also advise on unoccupied residences in the above areas and how the occupant(s) may be contacted.
A further notice will issue.
Thank you for you co-operation.